How to get started with deadlifting to transform my body

I'm pretty new to the site, though I have been on diets so many times over. I don't particularly like cardio, can't run to save my life, but I love weight training.
I don't have a gym membership, but I have been reading a lot about deadlifting and how it can completely transform your body. This is something that appeals to me, and although I'm not overly fit, I feel that I'm reasonably strong and would love to build more muscle.

Can anyone help with advice on how to start deadlifts? Do I need to get a gym membership? Do I need a personal trainer?

I looked at line drawings, I read descriptions, I looked at YouTube videos and finally, when it came down to it, I worried about my back. Deadlifting looked like something that could really injure me if I used improper form. So I ended up going to a trainer, and he coached me a lot about my form, in ways that I never noticed, such as how important as the direction of my gaze was, what my stance should be, based on my own body, how close I ought to stand to the weight, how I moved when I completed the motion, whether I paused along the way or did it in one smooth fluid motion.

So anyway, yeah, I'm advising to work near a mirror & with someone who knows what they're doing watching you.

Others may have had different experiences, but for me, this worked out really well and I have had no physical issues as a result.

Hi. I deadlift at home using dumb bells. I learned proper form from the new rules of lifting series of books and online videos. They are all different sorts of variations of dead lifts. You don't necessarily have to be pulling hundreds of pounds with a barbell like a power lifter. It definitely has made a difference in my torso area and posterior chain. Good luck.

Hi, I'm a little late to the party but I have experience deadlifting and I have congenital and degenerative problems with my back so I can share my experience.

Done properly, deadlifting shouldn't hurt your back (barring any kind of physical problem that would make doing this exercise harmful). Deadlifting is a very natural movement for our body. The key is properly, which means absolutely textbook perfect form. Also, I used a trapazoid bar so I didn't have to worry about dragging a bar up my shins and by the nature of its very design it promotes good form. I read that the trap bar was designed by one of the record holding deadlifters and was actually what he used when he wasn't competing. It worked for me because I was training at home and could go out and purchase the bar for myself. Not all gyms have a trap bar.

You have to start out light with deadlifts for a few reasons. First to get your form down and second because they are a highly demanding exercise. You may have NO problem lifting heavier but that doesn't necessarily mean you're ready to do so. Empty bar weight is plenty to start with (whether you're lifting an empty 8' Olympic bar or a trap bar they're both about 50 lbs). As to the mechanics of how to deadlift, there are tons of sites that describe or demonstrate deads. I would point you to http://www.stumptuous.com/ under the menu for Training there is a section entitled From Dork to Diva. You will find detailed instructions for "classic" tried and true weight training exercises, coupled with step by step photos and a video. I love Krista's approach, very detailed and very practical.

Another note about form, you need extra eyes when you are learning, whether those are mirrors, video, another person watching you (or all of the above).

As for what deads can do for your body ... put it this way, any bodybuilding exercise you do is enhanced by doing big compound exercises. You want abs, deadlift; you want biceps, deadlift, etc., seriously (or squat, whichever, but I didn't want to buy a squat cage).

And regarding my back problems and deadlifts, I hit a limit and couldn't lift any heavier. My legs could have done heavier weight easily but I got a pain in my lower back and hip that was undeniably a warning. As long as I stayed below that pain threshold I was able to deadlift and actually my back felt the best it ever felt because my core was stronger than it had ever been.

Well if your uncertain as to your performance don't do what I did and just blindly go and lift a barbell. As a teen I would always deadlift my dad's barbell (about 60lbs or more) with no problem, never taught, in fact he didn't know I was lifting it.
Then once was on a vacation, went into an empty gym and deadlifted the barbell with no problem, not sure but I think it was 100 lbs and my form and lift was correct, it came naturally to me and I likely could become a powerlifter one day bc I am a strong woman. That said I once squatted incorrectly and threw my backout. I don't even think the weight was challenging so form means every thing. If you don't belong to a gym I would go to a sports store and get someone to set you up with the right equipment, you can add plates as your strength increases, just use proper form. I was lucky with the deadlifts bc my limbs and shoulders are strong but I learned the hard way with squats, ouch!

Posts by members, moderators and admins are not considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy.